Museums in New Zealand
91 museums in New Zealand. Most visited: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Top museums in New Zealand
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
808,706 visitors a year
Discover the vibrant world of New Zealand's cultural heritage at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, a must-visit destination for anyone eager to explore the nation's unique identity....
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Art museum
Auckland Art Gallery, known in Māori as Toi o Tāmaki, holds the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand. As the principal public gallery in Auckland, it also...
Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira
Military museum
Nestled in the heart of Auckland, the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira stands as a beacon of New Zealand’s rich history and cultural heritage. This stunning landmark, surrounded by the...
Auckland Zoo
Zoo or aquarium
Sick and injured wildlife from across New Zealand are treated at Auckland Zoo's veterinary hospital, part of the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine, with the aim of rehabilitating and...
Dunedin Gasworks Museum
Few gasworks anywhere survive as museums, and Dunedin's is one of them. The Dunedin Gasworks was New Zealand's first gasworks and also the last to stop production. It operated from 1863 until 1987,...
Enjoy Public Art Gallery
Art museum
Founded in 2000 by artists Ciaran Begley, Ros Cameron and Rachel Smithies as an artist-run space, Enjoy Contemporary Art Space shows the work of emerging and mid-career artists in Wellington's Cuba...
Gus Fisher Gallery
Art museum
Housed in a building that once served as broadcasting studios, the Gus Fisher Gallery gives particular weight to film and video work, a focus it adopted in 2018 in recognition of the building's past....
Hocken Collections
Art museum
A research library, historical archive and art gallery in one, the Hocken Collections (Uare Taoka o Hākena in Māori, formerly the Hocken Library) hold a library collection of national significance...
Museum of Natural Mystery
Art museum
Bones and bone art fill the Museum of Natural Mystery, a private collection created by mural artist and sculptor Bruce Mahalski inside his own residence on Royal Terrace in Dunedin. Alongside the...
Museum of Transport and Technology
Transport museum
A working tramway, the Western Springs tramway, links the two sites of the Museum of Transport and Technology, widely known as MOTAT. One site is MOTAT Great North Road and the other is the MOTAT...
New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa
Maritime museum
From the first Polynesian explorers and settlers to modern America's Cup triumphs, the New Zealand Maritime Museum, Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa, traces the whole span of the country's history on the...
Website of New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa
Olveston Historic Home
Historic house, palace or castle
Furnished and decorated much as it was when the Theomin family lived there, Olveston Historic Home offers a snapshot of upper-class colonial Edwardian life in Dunedin. Ernest George designed the...
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum
Founded in 1898, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum is New Zealand's oldest history museum. As a regional history museum, it covers the territory of the old Otago Province, which takes in New Zealand from...
Tūhura Otago Museum
A tropical rainforest butterfly house sits inside Tūhura Otago Museum's interactive science centre, one of the features that sets apart one of New Zealand's largest museums. The museum stands near...
Wellington Museum
Maritime museum
Housed in the 1892 Bond Store on Queens Wharf, Wellington Museum tells the story of New Zealand's capital across four floors. It covers the city's maritime history, early Māori and European...
Wellington Zoo
Zoo or aquarium
Opened in 1906, Wellington Zoo is the oldest public zoo in New Zealand. It covers 13 hectares of hilly ground in Wellington's green belt and is run as a nonprofit organisation. Its Māori name, Te...
Zealandia
Zealandia is the first urban ecosanctuary to be completely fenced. It covers 225 hectares of forest in Wellington, where a pest-exclusion fence keeps out introduced species so that native...
Museums by city in New Zealand
New Zealand’s museums reflect the many layers of Aotearoa, from Māori and Pacific heritage to colonial history, science, sport, and contemporary art. In Wellington, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa offers a broad introduction to the country’s people, landscapes, and cultural identity. Mooseum helps visitors explore these institutions more easily, whether you are planning a city stop or building a wider trip across both the North and South Islands.
Major centres such as Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Wellington have strong museum and gallery networks, including Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, and the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Smaller cities and towns also have distinctive collections, from Aigantighe Art Gallery in Timaru to regional museums focused on farming, migration, maritime life, and local archives. Mooseum makes it easier to discover these places and navigate them once you arrive.
Museum visits in New Zealand often connect closely with place. You will find exhibitions shaped by iwi histories, volcanic landscapes, coastal trade, military service, and the creative life of local communities. In places like Rotorua, Otago, Canterbury, and Northland, museums and galleries add context to the wider journey. Using Mooseum, visitors can compare museums by theme and location, then explore them through digital tours and indoor maps.
Map of museums in New Zealand
Museums in New Zealand: questions
- How many museums are there in New Zealand?
- Mooseum lists 91 museums in New Zealand. Wellington has the most, with 10.
- Which cities in New Zealand have the most museums?
- Wellington (10), Auckland (9) and Dunedin (9).
- What are the most visited museums in New Zealand?
- By annual visitors reported on Wikipedia: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (808,706) and New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame (8,741).
- What kinds of museums are in New Zealand?
- Of the 56 whose type we know, the most common are art museums (25), transport museums (9), zoos and aquariums (8) and ethnographic and open-air museums (4).
- Strong representation of Māori and Pacific collections, including taonga, community histories, and exhibitions shaped by Aotearoa’s bicultural context
- Well-developed art scene spanning major public galleries in Auckland and Christchurch to regional spaces such as Ashburton Art Gallery and Aigantighe Art Gallery
- Specialist museums covering aviation, military history, sport, archives, maritime heritage, and local industry across both islands
- Regional museums often focus on settlement history, goldfields, farming districts, and coastal communities, especially in Otago, Canterbury, and Southland
- Many museums pair national stories with local perspectives, making city institutions and smaller town collections equally useful for understanding New Zealand
- Large national museums and city galleries may be open daily, but smaller regional museums often have shorter hours or limited winter schedules, so check ahead on Mooseum before visiting.
- In Wellington and Auckland, several major museums are accessible by public transport and on foot from central areas; in smaller towns, having a car can make museum-hopping much easier.
- Admission policies vary: some public museums are free, while special exhibitions, private museums, or donation-based institutions may charge separately.
- Summer and school holiday periods can be busier in popular destinations, while cooler or rainy days are ideal for planning museum visits, especially in cities like Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin.
All museums in New Zealand
Every museum in New Zealand listed on Mooseum. Search by name or type.
| Name | Type | Website | Links | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Art museum | www.aigantighe.co.nz |  | — | |
Military museum | www.airforcemuseum.co.nz | | — | |
Music, film or theatre museum | archives.govt.nz | | — | |
Art museum | www.artspace.org.nz | | — | |
Art museum | ashburtonartgallery.org.nz | | — | |
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o TāmakiAuckland Art Gallery, known in Māori as Toi o Tāmaki, holds the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand. As the principal public gallery in Auckland, it also... | Art museum | www.aucklandartgallery.com | | — |
Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga HiraNestled in the heart of Auckland, the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira stands as a beacon of New Zealand’s rich history and cultural heritage. This stunning landmark, surrounded by the... | Military museum | www.aucklandmuseum.com | | — |
Auckland ZooSick and injured wildlife from across New Zealand are treated at Auckland Zoo's veterinary hospital, part of the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine, with the aim of rehabilitating and... | Zoo or aquarium | www.aucklandzoo.co.nz | | — |
Maritime museum | butlerpoint.co.nz | | — | |
— | www.canterburymuseum.com | | — | |
Art museum | coca.org.nz | | — | |
Art museum | christchurchartgallery.org.nz | | — | |
Art museum | citygallery.org.nz | | — | |
Transport museum | www.classicflyersnz.com | | — | |
— | www.coaltown.co.nz | | — | |
Ethnographic or open-air museum | www.cobblestonesmuseum.org.nz | | — | |
Art museum | dowse.org.nz | | — | |
Dunedin Gasworks MuseumFew gasworks anywhere survive as museums, and Dunedin's is one of them. The Dunedin Gasworks was New Zealand's first gasworks and also the last to stop production. It operated from 1863 until 1987,... | — | gasworksmuseum.org.nz | | — |
Art museum | www.dunedin.art.museum | | — | |
Art museum | www.esgallery.co.nz | | — | |
— | www.sappers.org.nz/index.php/ecmc | | — | |
Enjoy Public Art GalleryFounded in 2000 by artists Ciaran Begley, Ros Cameron and Rachel Smithies as an artist-run space, Enjoy Contemporary Art Space shows the work of emerging and mid-career artists in Wellington's Cuba... | Art museum | www.enjoy.org.nz | | — |
Transport museum | www.fellmuseum.org.nz | | — | |
Ethnographic or open-air museum | www.ferrymead.org.nz | | — | |
History museum | www.founderspark.co.nz | | — |